Learn how storytelling feeds the brain at Child Development Conference

Olga Loya is a national storyteller, performance artist, writer and teacher and a recent recipient of the National Network of Storytellers 2013 Oracle Award in The Circle of Excellence. She will present at both events.

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TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. — Tahoe Truckee Unified School District announces their upcoming child development conference, which will feature nationally known storytellers and local educators.

Experience an inspiring keynote address and lively, educational workshops on the skills and techniques that nurture a love of language and oral language development in young children.

Parents, teachers and caregivers will learn the latest research on brain development and early literacy and take home skills to boost their children’s language acquisition and prepare them for reading proficiency and school success. Conference attendees will strengthen their language engagement with children, receive tools to build children’s vocabularies, learn how to utilize storytelling as a powerful means to connect children with a love of language, and strengthen adult-child attachment and communication for healthy social / emotional development

Storytelling with children connects them to their family and heritage, and strengthens language skills and vocabulary. Stories spark the imagination and can be told any place or time.

The Child Development Mini Conference will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Kings Beach Elementary School. Cost is $10 and includes a breakfast buffet and free child care.

The development of oral language is one of the most natural and significant accomplishments of a child. While all infants are born with the innate gift of language acquisition, research shows babies as young as 9-months-old already show variations in language development based on their environment.

By 3 years of age, the size of preschoolers’ vocabularies can be vastly different from one another. The number of new words to which children have been exposed in their first three years affects vocabulary size and is a predictor of success in reading and school. The wonderful thing is that children who have had less exposure to words in their earliest years have an amazing capacity to catch up when given intentional support from parents and teachers.

Further, throughout infancy, toddlerhood, preschool and early elementary years, the quality and quantity of adult-child interactions, including verbal communication, is very significant in supporting healthy brain development. The nature of the communication between adults and young children also affects bonding and attachment and is the foundation for a child’s social and emotional wellbeing.

NATIONAL PRESENTERS

We are pleased to announce a wonderful assemblage of presenters for the child development conference. Keynote speaker and workshop presenter Olga Loya is a national storyteller, performance artist, writer and teacher and a recent recipient of the National Network of Storytellers 2013 Oracle Award in The Circle of Excellence.

Workshop presenter Lucinda deLorimier is a professional storyteller and librarian and an expert at creating successes for both children and adults through her storytelling programs. As a performer her wit, warmth and skill in enrapturing her audiences gives listeners permission to create and pass along stories for the enrichment of all.

Local educator and workshop presenter Stephanie Blume is program manager at KidZone Museum, holds a master’s in teaching and specializes in the area of children’s literacy.

Presenter Monina Vazquez is a long-time local parent educator and is versed in a variety of parent training models. Most recently she has become a trainer for Scholastic’s Read and Rise Family Literacy Program. She is also a home visitor for the Truckee-Tahoe Healthy Babies Program.

This conference is made possible through the partnership of First Five Placer County, KidZone Children’s Museum, Communities for Kids, and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.

Olga Loya to headline at Dia de los Muertos

The Family Resource Center of Truckee will offer a special gift to the community at their celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, the evening of Nov. 1.

They will present a free family performance by award-winning Latina storyteller Olga Loya. Olga dramatically and vividly mixes Spanish and English to reveal the diversity and richness of our collective culture.

Her colorful tales and performance style mixing improvisation, music, dance and song create a dynamic an interactive experience for the audience.

Bring your whole family to enjoy this rich and authentic cultural event.

Space may be limited, so arrive early. Everything is free. Donations for the FRCoT, a nonprofit organization providing basic services to the community, are always appreciated.

Ruth Jackson Hall is an early learning coordinator with the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, and may be reached at 530-582-2583.